Five Under-the-Radar Pickups in 2023-24 MLB Offseason That Could Be Steals

The MLB free agent market moved slowly in November and December 2023, which meant that many notable names remained available entering 2024. Still, there’s been plenty of activity. Big moves have been made — but which under-the-radar moves have stuck out? Here’s our look at the five under-the-radar moves that could prove to be good ones come the start of the 2024 campaign.

Woo Suk Go

Out of all the international free agents available this winter, it’s fair to say that Yoshinobu Yamamoto was the top player available. The new Dodgers righty dominated in Japan and now he’ll look to do the same in Los Angeles. However, the Dodgers weren’t the only NL West team active in the international market.

San Diego signed Japanese lefty Yuki Matsui and South Korean righty Woo Suk Go, both of whom are set to be a part of the 2024 Padres bullpen.

Go, however, might prove to be a very underrated signing. The 25-year-old boasts a hard, lively fastball to go with a cutter and curveball. If he can replicate his KBO success, that two-year, $4.5MM deal could be a steal.

Jorge Lopez

There were a few relievers we could have gone with here, including Shelby Miller (Tigers) and Tim Hill (White Sox). However, one under-the-radar relief pitcher signing that stuck out to us was former All-Star Jorge Lopez.

The soon-to-be 31-year-old struck out 72 over 71 in 2022 between the Orioles and Twins, along with a 2.54 ERA/3.42 ERA. The 2023 campaign, however, was not kind to Lopez. The ex-Twin gave up 12 home runs — eight more than all of 2022 — over 59 innings and spent time on the restricted list for mental health reasons.

Jorge Lopez whiff map 2022 — Lopez isn’t a swing-and-miss pitcher, even though he does get a fair amount of strikeouts. He does get a lot of ground balls thanks to that sinker, which does get him whiffs in the zone. He’s also been known to throw hitters off with a curveball, changeup, and slider.

The Mets will hope that Lopez finds his groove back in 2024, as New York signed him to a one-year deal worth $2MM. The good news for the Mets is that Lopez still had good movement on his stuff last year. Lopez’s curveball and slider were getting whiffs, despite the fact his batted ball metrics went in the wrong direction.

Tyler Mahle

The Twins hoped that Tyler Mahle would fill a hole in their rotation when Minnesota acquired him in the summer of 2022. That didn’t prove to be true, as injuries limited Mahle to just nine starts over parts of two seasons with the Twins.

Still recovering from Tommy John surgery, the Rangers signed Mahle to a modest two-year, $22MM deal this winter.

Mahle’s fastball is a tough one to hit, as are his slider and splitter. But as we noted when Mahle signed, the righty won’t be available for the Rangers until around the midpoint of 2024. If he can return in time for the stretch run, the righty could be a strong addition to the defending World Series champions.

Frankie Montas

Tyler Mahle wasn’t the only 2022 Trade Deadline acquisition that didn’t work out for an AL team. Former A’s righty Frankie Montas only made nine regular-season appearances with the Yankees thanks to injuries.

However, it wasn’t long ago that Montas struck out 207 batters and finished sixth in voting for the 2021 AL Cy Young.

The Reds gave Montas a one-year deal in late December. It’s a low-risk move for the Reds, given Montas’ body of work and stuff. Plus, it should give Cincinnati some much-needed depth as the Reds look to contend for a playoff spot.

Tyler O’Neill

From a raw tools standpoint, outfielder Tyler O’Neill is a standout. The former Cardinal possesses plus power and speed, both of which stood out two years ago when he hit .286/.352/.560 with 34 home runs, 80 RBI, and 15 stolen bases.

Unfortunately for O’Neill, injuries have limited O’Neill to less than 100 games in each of the last two years.

The Cardinals opted to move on from O’Neill — who will be a free agent after 2024 — and traded the 28-year-old to the Red Sox in December. The trade didn’t cost the Sox too much and could be a boon if O’Neill can stay healthy.